Cactus Fruit

Yes, cactus fruit are mostly edible although preparation of the fruit is somewhat tricky depending on the type of cactus and the number of spines. This cluster of fruit comes from a barrel cactus. There are two genera, Echinocactus and Ferocactus that are both commonly referred to as barrel cactus because of their shape. This yellow type of fruit stays on the cactus for an extended period of time and is not usually eaten because it is bitter tasting and quite dry. Also, larger barrel cactus with clusters of fruit are not that common in the Southwest deserts.